{"id":2199678,"date":"2022-12-08T10:05:55","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T10:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199678"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:10:51","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:10:51","slug":"one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/one-citys-defiance-sparks-debate-on-lifting-south-koreas-indoor-mask-rules-2\/","title":{"rendered":"One city’s defiance sparks debate on lifting South Korea’s indoor mask rules"},"content":{"rendered":"
Long after most countries ditched similar policies, prominent voices in South Korea have started to speak out against indoor mask mandates. The government could be lifting restrictions in the coming weeks, but it remains to be seen exactly when and to what extent.<\/span><\/p>\n The central city of Daejeon recently sparked controversy when it <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> it would issue an administrative order to lift indoor mask requirements from January unless the central government did so by Dec. 15. Soon after the news broke, neighboring South Chungcheong Province <\/span>followed suit<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n As it stands, violating South Korea\u2019s indoor mask could currently land you a fine of 100,000 won ($76).<\/span><\/p>\n In response, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> it plans to \u201cclosely consult with the city government of Daejeon to go together with the central government\u2019s measures,\u201d citing the importance of a \u201cunitary network on public health measures.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Nevertheless, Daejeon\u2019s decision seems to have at least pushed the government toward preparing to lift indoor masking rules. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> the government would decide by the end of December whether to lift the indoor mask mandate.<\/span><\/p>\n MASKS, MASKS, MASKS<\/b><\/p>\n Masks have been one of the main features of South Korea\u2019s COVID-19 response. At the beginning of the pandemic, masked-up South Korea <\/span>became an example<\/span><\/a> to the rest of the world through a combination of social distancing and contact tracing. And studies backed up that masks <\/span>significantly reduced<\/span><\/a> the spread of the virus.<\/span><\/p>\n But new variants were <\/span>more contagious<\/span><\/a>. By the end of 2021, South Korea hadn\u2019t seen more than 10,000 cases on any given day; in March this year, daily cases <\/span>peaked at over 600,000<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As of Thursday, <\/span>cumulative cases<\/span><\/a> stood at 27,548,821, which means that around half the country has had the virus and the vast majority of them this year following the Omicron outbreak.<\/span><\/p>\n Thankfully, vaccines now offer additional protection against the virus \u2014 South Korea has one of the <\/span>highest vaccination rates<\/span><\/a> in the world \u2014 and new variants of COVID-19 have thus far proven <\/span>less deadly<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n